‘Filthy rotten leeches’: Sooshi Mango post CCTV footage of man breaking into group’s office
Comedy troupe Sooshi Mango has taken aim at Victoria’s crime laws after a man broke into the group’s office in Carlton, saying these types of offences happen every day because criminals are confident they will get away with it.
In a social media post on Monday morning, the group shared CCTV footage that showed a man push through a door – shattering its glass – near its Lygon Street restaurant just before 7pm on Sunday.
“He didn’t end up stealing anything because he couldn’t find anything of value,” the post said. “We are Italians, we don’t leave our cash in obvious places.”
Sooshi Mango have more than 3 million followers on Instagram thanks to their popular comedy skits, which largely make fun of their Italian roots and other ethnic stereotypes.
The Melbourne trio opened the restaurant Johnny, Vince & Sam’s in mid-2023, and said the break-in captured on Sunday night was not far from the venue.
They said the damaged door was “no real drama” but shared the video in an attempt to identify the man responsible.
“If we can stop him from taking advantage of just one other honest business then we have done our job,” the post said.
“Perhaps if Victoria had stricter laws, these filthy rotten leaches (sic) wouldn’t have the confidence to go around breaking into places in broad daylight.”
Later, in a statement to this masthead, Sooshi Mango members Joe Salanitri, Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre said the attention on the break-in due to the group’s online following was extraordinary.
“But this stuff is happening every day, especially in Victoria, where it feels pretty much out of control, and these incidents just don’t seem as newsworthy any more because it’s just how things are,” the trio said via email.
“Right now, break-ins are seen as low risk, and that needs to change so businesses and staff can feel safe at work. We must see stronger deterrents and faster consequences, particularly for repeat offenders, if we’re serious about cracking down on crime in this state.”
At a press conference on Monday morning, acting Premier Ben Carroll said the state government was responding.
“Four and a half billion [dollars] was invested in Victoria Police [in the last budget],” he said.
“We’ve made bail reform. We put knife crime in the Crimes Act. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that everyday Victorians – law-abiding Victorians – feel safe and know that they are safe in Victoria.”
Carroll referred to the recent deployment of PSOs at shopping centres as evidence of the government’s ongoing action, but added: “We always know we’ve got more work to do.”
Police, meanwhile, confirmed that detectives from the Melbourne West Crime Investigation Unit were investigating the commercial burglary on Drummond Street.
“It is unclear at this stage if any items were stolen,” a police spokesman said. “The investigation remains ongoing.”
Crime rates in Victoria have been rising since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and led the Allan government to tighten bail laws and increase penalties for child offenders last year.
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